WASHINGTON (AP) Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell federal spending and the country's debt will dominate the congressional agenda for the next three months, and that debate about potential gun legislation in the wake of the Connecticut school shooting will take a back seat.

Despite all the “sky is falling” rhetoric from dozens of breathless stories about how Obama is somehow going to ram gun control through the House and Senate by the end of the month. The fact is it is doubtful that they could even come up with 50 votes in the Senate, not to mention the House. Yesterday Democrat Senator Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota came out and said she would not support any new gun control. Then there is West Virginia senator Joe Manchin who made some remarks saying he would “look at” new gun control, got hammered in the WV media and spent the next week saying he never said his original remark and does not support gun control. Then their are the seven “red state” democrat's up for reelection in 2014 who would be committing political suicide to sign onto gun control. The only Republican still in the Senate who supported the renewal of the AWB is Susan Collins, even traditional moderates like Lindsey Graham have already said they oppose a new AWB.

Are you kidding, he’s a LAUGHING STOCK in DC, caves EVERY time. My dog is a better negotiator.

...and, in fact he is. The wife tried to wean him from people food to dog food. So, she’d mix it, and he’d pick out the people food and that was it - wouldn’t touch the dog food. So she completely stopped the people food and just gave him dog food. He walked away from the bowl (hint, Boener), and held out for 3 days. Finally, the wife couldn’t take it, and went back to people food.

Thats all correct, but I imagine that the wonder boy would simply sign an EO declaring guns illegal.

He could, but he would just be made to look like an idiot because the next day a dozen federal lawsuits asking for an immediate injunction of the EO would be filed and all it would take is one federal judge finding their is a reasonable chance the EO is unconstitutional (not exactly a high bar) and the EO would be stayed until it worked it's way through the court (and Obama would be out of office by the time that happened).

Wow! Thanks for that link. I don't know how I missed that. Good for Boehner. Excellent.

Senate Democrats attempt to break Senate rules in order to change Senate rules is clearly designed to marginalize Senate Republicans and their constituents while greasing the skids for controversial partisan measures. I question the wisdom of this maneuver, especially at a time when cooperation on Capitol Hill is critical, and fully support Leader McConnells efforts to protect minority rights, which are an essential part of our constitutional tradition. Any bill that reaches a Republican-led House based on Senate Democrats heavy-handed power play would be dead on arrival. - House Speaker John Boehner

When Reid started floating the idea of dumping the filibuster rule I immediately wondered if the House would back up the Senate Republicans. Good to see they will. Yep. This declaration by Boehner most definitely WAS under reported.

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